3rd Floor Common Room, Monday Afternoon

[mindofageneration]

Well, Riri was still waiting on stuff from MIT. And hoping it wasn't getting shipped back to her mom's place in Chicago, but not wanting to actually check after everything. So, instead of that, she threw herself into the weirdness of this place.

Or just documenting it to confirm or deny things.

This was accomplished after she found a whiteboard stashed away in one of the storage closets. She'd dragged it into one of the common rooms to start writing on, but had banged her finger on a doorway along with way. This was the reason there was a very confused 'TASTES LIKE WHITE CASTLE?' on there next to 'JOURNALIST SQUIRRELS' after sucking on her mashed finger.

Precious newbie. And it hadn't even moved past whimsy yet!

[open!]

Comments

[stringstothesoul]

Erasmus had gotten a modded with permission text from Riri, which was why he came through the door of the common room asking her, "Did you put the shrimp thing on there yet?"

The island wasn't made out of shrimp, Erasmus. You have to let it go.

[mindofageneration]

"Shrimp thing? You mean that universe thing?" Riri asked. Because it was a White Castle thing, thank you.

[stringstothesoul]

Erasmus hadn't licked himself today to find out that he tasted like shrimp, because why would he? So, "Yeah, that. Universe made out of shrimp. Professor Atreides seemed pretty sure it existed."

If it did, it wasn't on this island, so let's focus, buddy.

[mindofageneration]

"I can put it to the side," Riri suggested. "Since it doesn't add to our conclusion here."

It was just a fun potential fact.

[stringstothesoul]

"Did you find out anything new since Saturday?" Erasmus asked her. "I was in the woods most of yesterday afternoon, so I don't know what I missed." He'd gotten lost trying to get back from that house. He didn't want to talk about it. He really should have followed the path.

[mindofageneration]

"I heard radio," Riri said, making a face. "Guess they were right about something."

She wasn't crossing out high tech surveillance systems still. Or robotic squirrels.

[stringstothesoul]

"Yeah, that was...that was something," Erasmus said. At least now the whole island knew he was a necromancer and he wouldn't have to tell anyone else. "I thought the squirrels would actually, you know, do the broadcasts somehow." He was kind of disappointed.

[mindofageneration]

"I think talking squirrels might be weirder than what we already have," Riri said, really thinking about that one. Because none of them were Disney princesses here.

[stringstothesoul]

Paging Belle, Belle to the common room...

Erasmus noticed something on the whiteboard and asked, "What tastes like White Castle?" Also, "And what's White Castle?"

[mindofageneration]

"You haven't noticed?" That was concerning. "I hit my finger and now it tastes like White Castle. You know, the burger place?"

Krystal. It was Krystal for him.

[stringstothesoul]

Erasmus shook his head. "Never heard of it." He had heard of Krystal, though.

Then he experimentally licked his finger. "Huh." He licked it again. "It doesn't taste like burgers. It tastes like...shrimp?" Gulf shrimp, to be precise, but how was he going to know that?

[mindofageneration]

"Are you messin' with me?" Riri had to ask. It was that or the shrimp thing was stalking him.

[stringstothesoul]

"Why would I mess you with about that?" Erasmus asked. "Maybe you're messing with me about burgers I've never heard of before."

[mindofageneration]

"First of all, White Castle is an institution," Riri said like maybe it was a failure on his end for not knowing it. "Second, you gotta admit you've had a lot of shrimp stuff."

[stringstothesoul]

"Like, two shrimp things," Erasmus argued. "Which is more shrimp things than I would encounter in a normal week, I'll allow you." It wasn't like he was from Bayou La Batre. "Maybe the magic island is just really into shrimp right now."

[mindofageneration]

Riri sighed and wrote down 'TASTES LIKE SHRIMP' with Erasmus' name next to it. Because that seemed to be the thing.

"Maybe other people have it happening too."

Or it was just the new kids. Please don't just be the new kids.

[stringstothesoul]

"We could ask them?" Erasmus suggested. "Like a survey. Although I don't know how many people would be willing to talk to me now..."

Of course they all wanted to talk to you, Erasmus. How else would they ask if you were a necromancer like Liliana?

[mindofageneration]

"Don't have a clipboard," Riri suggested immediately. It was the only way to keep them from walking away quickly.

[stringstothesoul]

"Why would I even own a clipboard?" Erasmus asked, confused.

You were so weird, Riri. Your world was weird. With its clipboards and its Krystals being called White Castle.

[mindofageneration]

Excuse you, bitch. She was from Chicago.

"To write things down on," Riri replied, rolling her eyes. "Unless you got a tablet somewhere."

[stringstothesoul]

In one possible future, Erasmus was going to freeze his ass off in your city. In October. While wearing a puffer coat. Truly, your people were made of sterner stuff than he was.

"I have a notebook," Erasmus said. "And the notes app on my phone."

[mindofageneration]

"Maybe this place has tablets for us to use."

God, she hoped so. She was getting hives here at the lack of things to work on with her hands.